Muzzle loaded pistols and rifles have been largely supplanted in modern times by more efficient types of firearms. Muzzle loaded firearms, however, continue to enjoy widespread use by large numbers of people for hunting and competitive purposes. One of the primary disadvantageous of muzzle loaded firearms is the relatively long time required to reload the firearm once it has been discharged. Typically the steps for such reloading include first swabbing the barrel to remove the residue from the previously fired shot. Then a measured amount of powder must be poured into the end of the barrel. After the powder has been poured, a patch and bullet are inserted through the end of the barrel and seated on top of the powder by means of a ramrod. These steps, even for a person skilled in the use of such firearms, typically take two or three minutes to accomplish. This time interval for hunting and for timed marksmanship competition is too long.
In addition, unless a receptacle is provided with a premeasured charge of powder, the pouring of powder into the end of the barrel of the firearm from a powder horn or the like produces relatively wide variations in the amount of powder charge from shot to shot. Consequently, the trajectory of the ball varies significantly and inaccuracy of the firearm results.
Various devices have been provided to facilitate the loading of consistent charges of powder into muzzle loaded firearms and to permit such firearms to be more rapidly loaded. Three very old patents to Peavey U.S. Pat. No. 11,174; Phillips U.S. Pat. No. 163,404; and Hovis U.S. Pat. No. 184,079 illustrate attempts at improving the accuracy and speed of reloading muzzle loaded firearms. All of these patents use a rotary magazine having a number of cylindrical chambers in it. Powder is placed in the bottom of each cylinder and the ball is then placed on top of the powder. Rotation of the cylinder in alignment with the barrel of the muzzle loaded rifle, permits the powder to drop through an opening in the device into the barrel. A ramrod then is used to drive the ball and the patch into the barrel on top of the powder.
The devices disclosed in these patents are complicated and have a number of moving parts which require adjustment and which make them relatively bulky in size and expensive to manufacture. In addition, the bulk and difficult operation do not make them particularly practical for field hunting conditions or competitive marksmanship conditions.
A second group of more recent patents, directed to attempts to improve the speed and accuracy of reloading muzzle loaded firearms, includes the patents to Mulinix U.S. Pat. No. 4,050,175; Dobbs U.S. Pat. No. 4,152,858; Snowden U.S. Pat. No. 4,229,897; and Grout U.S. Pat. No. 4,373,285. All four of these patents include a reloading device in which the ball and powder are aligned with one another in the same cylinder. In some of these devices the powder first is poured out from one end of the cylinder and the ball then is driven through the cylinder into the barrel to exit from the same end as the powder. In others, a frangible membrane is placed over the powder at the end of the cylinder. This end then is placed over the end of the rifle and the ball is driven downwardly to cause the powder to break the membrane and flow into the barrel ahead of the ball, which then is forced into the barrel. In Mulinix, when the device is pulled lose as suggested by a downward pull, there is a high probability that some of the powder will be spilled. This subsequently will change the point of impact of the bullet. Since this device has to be turned over there also is a good chance of having a misalignment of the loader with the bore of the firearm.
The device of Snowden is relatively long and bulky and it has a large number of different parts in it. The bulk of this device and the complexity of its use make it impractical for field use.
The Dobbs and Grout patents also are relatively long, since the powder and ball are aligned with one another in the same cylinder. In addition, a frangible membrane must be discarded after each use and replaced. This increases the complexity of use of the device and requires the user to carry an additional supply of frangible membranes, as well as the other elements already necessary for reloading a charge into the barrel of a firearm.
Other reloading devices have been developed which store the powder in one end and the ball in the other end, so that the powder is first poured into the barrel of the firearm from one end, and then is turned over to insert the ball or shot through the other end into the rifle. Devices of this type are subject to the disadvantage of spilling some of the powder. Also, because they must be turned over to insert the ball by means of a ramrod inserted through the end which formerly held the powder, they are relatively slow to use under field conditions.
It is desirable to provide a reloading device for muzzle loading firearms which is compact, accurate, efficient, easy to use under field conditions, and which is not subject to the disadvantages of the prior art devices mentioned above.